First time for everything

By: Colin Brown

Covering the London Olympics

Growing up as a typical American boy, I have attended dozens, maybe hundreds, of sporting events. Ranging from football to basketball to baseball games as well as several golf matches, I have witnessed my fair share of professional sports. But recently I got the chance to witness a new sport — an opportunity that I won’t find back on my home turf.

Cricket match at Uxbridge Cricket Club. (Photo by Colin Brown)

I attended my first cricket match with my journalism partner-in-crime, Danny Medlock, on Sunday. We saw the Clydesdale Bank 40 Tournament match between the Middlesex County Cricket Club and the Worcestershire County Cricket Club. Neither one of us had ever seen a cricket match in our lives, so as avid lovers of all sports, we were incredibly excited for the new experiences that the day would bring us.

We were greeted at the gates as “chaps” by Middlesex’s PR guy, Steven Fletcher, or “Fletch”, as he is known around the club. We sat down in the front row and observed the first hour of the match in compete confusion. I saw the “runs” section of the scoreboard increasing after every moment of action, but I had no idea what the players were doing to earn these runs. To help with my perplexity the gentleman sitting next to me tried to explain to me the details of the game. His friend watching the match with him then offered me a glass of fine, red wine and later the two popped open a bottle of champagne. I was shocked! When was the last time that you were at a sporting event and saw someone pull out bottles of expensive alcohol from their bag?

Middlesex County Cricket Club and Worcestershire County Cricket Club end their match in a draw at 229, after five hours of play. (Photo by Colin Brown)

Cricket is a unique sport. Whether it is the details of the game or the fans that come to watch it, you won’t find many other sports that are similar to cricket. It really provides for a one-of-a-kind experience.

After watching the five-hour long match, seeing one player account for 120 runs by himself (a rare occurrence in the game) and experiencing a comeback of four “maximums” in the final “over” of the match, the match ended with both teams tied at 229!

That is the craziness that is cricket.